USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
Taylor Swift rules Billboard 200 for thrid week
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department spends a third straight week at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated May 18), marking her first title to spend its first three weeks atop the

chart since 2020’s Folklore spent its first six weeks at No. 1. (Between Folklore and the new album, Swift earned six No. 1 albums.) The Tortured Poets Department is the first album to spend its first three weeks in the pole position since Travis Scott’s Utopia led in its first four weeks last summer (Aug. 12-Sept. 2, 2023). The Tortured Poets Department earned 282,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending May 9 (down 36%), according to Luminate. That marks the largest third-week for any album since Swift’s own Midnights clocked 299,000 units in its third frame (Nov. 19, 2022-dated chart). Of the sum of 282,000, SEA units comprise 229,500 (down 30%, equaling 298.33 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), traditional album sales comprise 51,000 (down 53%) and TEA units comprise 1,500 (down 43%). Swift adds her 72nd career week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending her record among soloists (Elvis Presley has the second-

most among soloists, with 67). The total encompasses her 14 leaders. (She’s tied with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists.) Dua Lipa scores her highest-charting album yet on the Billboard 200 as her third studio effort, Radical Optimism, bows at No. 2. It enters with 83,000 equivalent album units earned — a personal best for the singer-songwriter. Of its starting sum, album sales comprise 51,500 (it’s the top-selling album of the week, and it’s Lipa’s best sales week ever), SEA units comprise 30,500 (equaling 39.7 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album’s sales were bolstered by its availability across 20 physical variants, all with the same 11 songs. There were 11 vinyl editions in assorted colors (one of which was signed, and most variants were exclusive to specific retailers) and two cassette tapes. Radical Optimism is Lipa’s second top 10-charting effort, following her sophomore set, 2020’s Future Nostalgia, which peaked at No. 3. The new 11-song album was announced on March 13 following two previously-released singles “Houdini” and “Training Season.” The former dropped last November and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 that month, while the latter topped out at No. 27 in March. A third single, “Illusion,” bowed at No. 43 on the chart dated April 27. Two former No. 1s are up next on the Billboard 200, as Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time is pushed down 2-3 despite a 3% gain (to 71,000 equivalent album units) and Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You falls 3-4 (down 1% to 61,000 units). Seventeen collects its fifth top 10 on the Billboard 200, all consecutive, as Seventeen Best Album ‘17 Is Right Here’ debuts at No. 5. The retrospective compilation earned 53,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Of that sum, album sales comprise 49,000, SEA units comprise 4,000 (equaling 5.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s chart-topping Vultures 1 flies back into the top 10, as it wings 52-6 following the set’s arrival on vinyl. The effort earned 45,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week (up 173%), while album sales comprising 31,000 of that sum (up 37,841%). Essentially all of its sales were from vinyl — nearly 31,000, which marks the biggest sales week on vinyl for both Ye and Ty Dolla $ign. The vinyl edition of the album was exclusively sold via Ye’s official webstore, and was initially sold as a pre-order when the album was first released on Feb. 10. Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album is squeezed 6-7 on the new Billboard 200, though with a 4% gain (to 42,000 equivalent album units). Beyoncé’s chart-topping Cowboy Carter falls 4-8 with 41,000 units (down 21%), Noah Kahan’s Stick Season slips 5-9 with 40,000 units (down 2%) and SZA’s former leader SOS falls 9-10 with 39,000 (down 1%). The seething rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake spills into the upper reaches of the latest Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, tilted in the former’s favor. Lamar’s “Not Like Us” launches at No. 1, while his “Euphoria” soars 11-3 in its second week on the survey. Plus, Future, Metro Boomin and Lamar’s former three-week leader “Like That” reignites 8-6. Meanwhile, Drake debuts at No. 7 with his top-charting entry in the clash, “Family Matters.” Lamar lands his fourth Hot 100 No. 1 and ups his career count to 15 top 10s. Drake adds his record-extending 78th Hot 100 top 10. “Not Like Us,” on Interscope Records/ICLG, premieres on the Hot 100 with 70.9 million official streams, 5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 15,000 sold in the U.S. in the week ending May 9, despite the scathing track, which namechecks Drake and his 2021 album Certified Lover Boy, having not been released until late Sunday, May 5 (after the May 3 start of the latest charts’ tracking week). “Not Like Us” arrives as the 1,171st No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 65-year history, and the 79th to debut in the top spot. The track also starts at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, where it’s Lamar’s fifth chart-topper. Concurrently, Lamar’s “Euphoria” bounds 11-3 in its second week on the Hot 100. Released April 30 (amid the April 26-May 2 chart tracking week), it drew 49 million streams (up from 28.9 million in its first frame) and 1.9 million in airplay audience (down from 2.5 million) and sold 7,000 (up from 6,000) May 3-9. Rounding out Lamar’s trio of titles in the Hot 100’s top 10, his and Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” pushes 8-6. It debuted atop the April 6-dated chart and spent its first three weeks at No. 1. It gained by 22% to 34.2 million streams May 3-9, as well as 13% to 29.4 million in radio reach and 76% to 3,000 sold. Drake’s “Family Matters,” released May 4 and laser-focused on Lamar (and Metro Boomin) lyrically, debuts on the Hot 100 at No. 7 with 38 million streams, 646,000 airplay audience impressions and 5,000 sold through May 9. With the entrance, Drake adds his record-padding 78th Hot 100 top 10, dating to his first, “Best I Ever Had,” in 2009. “Family Matters” is also his record-extending 331st entry on the chart overall. Tommy Richman’s first Hot 100 hit, “Million Dollar Baby,” holds at No. 2 in its second week on the chart, up 54% to 58.3 million streams, 518% to 1.9 million in airplay audience and 58% to 6,000 sold. Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, falls to No. 4 on the Hot 100 after spending its first two weeks on the chart at No. 1. It’s the top-selling song of the week, up 1,192% to 77,000 sold (powered by 73,000 CD singles that shipped during the tracking week). Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” dips to No. 5 from its No. 3 Hot 100 high. Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” slips to No. 8 from its No. 4 best; Benson Boone’s No. 2-peaking “Beautiful Things” falls 5-9 and Teddy Swims’ former one-week No. 1 “Lose Control” descends 6-10, as it tops the Radio Songs chart for a fifth week (73 million in audience, up 4%).

Record Of The Month
Another big country smash by a black artist:
'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' by Shaboozey

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (excerpt)
Dua Lipa's third album storms at number one
Monday, May 13, 2024
by Alan Jones, London
 
Already home to three Top 10 hits – Houdini, Training Session and Illusion – Dua Lipa’s highly-anticipated third album Radical Optimism storms to a No.1 debut, delivering her highest weekly sale yet, while earning the honour of dethroning Taylor Swift’s latest magnum opus, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD).

With first week consumption of 46,298 units (13,388 CDs, 16,772 vinyl albums, 4,779 cassettes, 1,414 digital downloads and 9,945 sales-equivalent streams), Radical Optimism is Lipa’s second No.1 and had a 34.62% bigger first week than immediate predecessor, Future Nostalgia, which launched in March 2020, initially landing at No.2 on consumption of 34,390 units; and 187.92% greater than her eponymous June 2017 debut, which debuted at No.5 with 16,223 sales. Both improved on their debut positions – something, of course, Radical Optimism cannot do. The self-named first album took 37 weeks to reach its peak position of No.3, doing so immediately after Lipa received BRIT Awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act and performed New Rules at the 2018 ceremony. Future Nostalgia rose 2-1 on its second frame, despite its consumption falling 53.24% week-on-week to 16,080 units. Its to-date consumption is 741,218

units, while Dua Lipa is on 1,032,934 units. Radical Optimism’s first frame is the second highest of the year, behind TTPD, and the highest for a British female artist since Adele’s 30 blasted onto the chart on consumption of 261,856 units in November 2021. Although dipping to No.2, TTPD’s consumption of 31,897 units is still higher than that achieved by the No.1 album in 12 of the 18 previous weeks that have elapsed in 2024, and Swift’s second highest third week tally behind the 32,589 mark set by Midnights in 2022. TTPD is her 12th No.1 but marks the 15th time she has been dethroned – each time by a different artist. Those who can boast of replacing her at No.1 are, in order of achieving the feat: Calvin Harris, Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith, Lana Del Rey, Biffy Clyro, Paul McCartney, Barry Gibb, London Grammar, Adele, Drake & 21 Savage, Michael Bublé, The Courteeners, J Hus, Madness and Dua Lipa. No.1 last time out with FTHC, Frank Turner secures his sixth Top 10 and 11th Top 75 album with Undefeated (No.3, 15,580 sales). The 42-year-old alternative/folk artist wrote, recorded and produced the album all by himself at his Essex studio. Two years after he reached No.1 for the eighth time fronting Stereophonics’ latest album, Oochya!, and less than a year after he reached No.5 as a member of Far From Saints with their eponymous album, Kelly Jones returns to the Top 10 with his second solo studio album, Inevitable Incredible. A rather skimpy eight-song, 24-minute release, it debuts at No.6 (7,022 sales). Jones’ only previous solo chart foray came in 2020, when his live set, Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day. Jones’ only previous solo studio album, Only The Names Have Been Changed, sold 10,631 copies the week it was released in 2007, enough to earn a No.23 debut, had it not been intentionally excluded from the chart by dint of an eligibility-busting competition. The rest of the Top 10: The Highlights (3-4, 8,367 sales) by The Weeknd, Guts (4-5, 7,845 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo, 50 Years: Don’t Stop (10-7, 6,191 sales) by Fleetwood Mac, Stick Season (9-8, 5,773 sales) by Noah Kahan, Gold: Greatest Hits (11-9, 5,689 sales) by Abba and Sour (14-10, 5,331 sales) by Olivia Rodrigo. As her UK tour continues – she is in Birmingham tonight (May 10) – Sour is at its highest placing for 32 weeks for Rodrigo, who also has simultaneous Top 10 albums for the first time. Overall album sales are up 0.08% week-on-week at 2,462,731, 10.24% above same week 2023 sales of 2,233,914. Physical product accounts for 317,346 sales, 12.89% of the total. Olé, Au Lait: No.1 by the smallest margin in over a year last week, Sabrina Carpenter has an easier second week at the summit with Espresso racking up consumption of 76,506 units (1,134 digital downloads, 75,372 sales-equivalent streams) putting it 28.01% ahead of Too Sweet, which bounces 3-2 (59,765 sales) for Hozier. Carpenter was nearly pipped at the post last week by Taylor Swift, whose Fortnight (feat. Post Malone) closed to within 484 sales (0.612%) of Espresso after the late introduction of CD sales. That was the closest title race since Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding’s Miracle finished 267 sales (0.608%) ahead of David Kushner’s Daylight 53 weeks ago. There is no such drama this week, with Fortnight fading 2-5 (45,437 sales). 23-year-old American singer/rapper Tommy Richman’s viral debut hit Million Dollar Baby increases consumption a hefty 171.22% week-on-week as it soars 31-7 (41,198 sales). Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s increasingly bitter feud continues apace, with one track debuting inside the Top 10 and two more making their chart debuts inside the Top 30. The pair were already at war, despite previously joining forces for several tracks, most notably Poetic Justice which – with UK consumption of 424,435 units, despite not charting – is Lamar’s 18th and Drake’s 73rd top track. Drake accelerated the animosity with J Cole collab First Person Shooter, prompting Lamar to respond via a verse on Like That with Future & Metro Boomin. Then, Drake released Push Ups, which reached No.14. The Californian Lamar hit back with Euphoria, which debuted at No.50 last week and now surges to No.11 (32,878 sales), leading Canadian Drake to unleash Family Matters (No.17, 23,803 sales), and Lamar to strike back with Not Like Us (No.10, 36,360 sales) and Meet The Grahams (No.28, 16,614 sales). At the end of an exhausting week, Lamar has increased his career haul to 42, including nine Top 10 hits, while Drake has now had 144 hits, 45 of which made the Top 10. Drake, incidentally, has had 18 tracks surpass consumption of a million units in the UK, with his career track consumption up to 3 May at a phenomenal 112,356,332 units. A Bar Song (Tipsy) continues to grow at a fast pace for Shaboozey, with consumption of his country/rap crossover track increasing 21.80% week-on-week as it climbs 6-3 (49,993 sales). Moving to ACR and the exit door next week, Lose Control spends its 18th straight week in the Top 10 for Teddy Swims, slipping 7-8 (40,691 sales), while The Door (88-68, 7,950 sales) becomes the second Top 75 entry from his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1). It helps the album to jump 33-30 (3,462 sales), achieving its highest chart position for 14 weeks. The rest of the Top 10: Beautiful Things (4-4, 48,251 sales) by Benson Boone, I Like The Way You Kiss Me (5-6, 42,350 sales) by Artemas and Austin (9-9, 36,949 sales) by Dasha. The Dasha track peaked at No.7 three weeks ago, but increases consumption for the 11th week in a row since it first dropped in February. Seven of the Top 10 are the first tracks by the artists in question to reach that part of the chart, a very rare confluence. Overall singles consumption rises for the fifth consecutive week, and hits a new peak for the third time in a row, increasing 0.53% week-on-week to 29,994,688 units, 12.64% above same week 2023 consumption of 26,627,649 units. Paid-for sales are down 8.01% week-on-week at 273,801 – 11.43% below same week 2023 sales of 309,146.